Method of mining coal



Dec. 11., 1-945. V KL. STORRS METHOD OF MINING COAL Filed Jan. 3, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 4/ ,6- l. V I 2.

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Inventor Dec. 11 1945. K. L. sToRRs 2,390,562

METHOD OF MINING COAL FiledJan. s, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 i i -J/ i Inventor. fl/n/aem L :5 TOEES Dec. 11., 1945. K. L. STORRS 2,390,562

METQOD OF MINING COAL Filed Jan. :5, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 A) b I; $65 %r/ Inventor -////v0ep L. 5 70225 Aime];

. 1945- 1 K. STORRS 2,390,562

METHOD OF MINING COAL I Filed Jan. 3, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet-4 77 Inventor //v0 e0 L 5 7022s M ma Patented Dec. 11, 1945 g 2,390,562; METHODI F MINING GOA-LY Kmareaasmm, SaltLake sh man, a Applioation January-3, 1944, Serial N0.516,805

a aelaims. (01.2.62-11 The'present invention relates to mining" in general and moreparticulafly to a 'method of excavating or mining coal;;*whereby bars; blocks, or large pieces of regularfuniform size'anel shape of coal will be obtained with hardly; any-waste ofmateri'al and* very little dust. This excavation or mining process is performed without use of explosives and results in blocks which are easily borundum saw, a'ja'ck hammer; a trenchdigger" or the like 01 these tools acircular abrasive saw will cut the coal rapidly andwith very little" breakage Such asaw would have to be mounted upon a bar supported by two adjustable uprights, and

the saw should be allowed to movefreely'along' the face of a coal vein andshould be adjustable as to the angle of-"cut.

It will also befou-ndthat the-present jackhammer with a saw tooth edge willcut" thecoal These are i only suggested 'means, for "cuttingwith a punching action; i rapidly.

the coal: to: perform this method; andlldo not desire to be restrictedto-their -use,-since some of the present coal cuttingdevices; revised-and re-; duced in'xsize; could performthe same- 'purpose byfollowing the design-and method as hereois closed; a i 1 a In the methods of cutting -coal now prevalent in most western mines, the total output per man, isrivery low; Insome oases beingonly 3- tons per man per shift. This is 'dne to a methodof-cut-' ting: and shooting which entails large, climber-- some and :costly cutting 'equipment;which in turn requires more power perton 0f coal-removed from themine than should beneededl" the (33861 ofthe circu-lar'saw, orjack hammer principlexot the: present coal machines revised, and as applied to the angular method of cutting: herein described=;: the output per man should be greatly increased, and the outlay in machinery and equipment greatly decreasedl Theiresults obtained by this improved method are accordingly: 1

Depthof: eachtcut l .toiz' feew I i floenplosivesneededna, i i

Inexpensive machinery; j j Coal sizedwithin mine,"elaboratetipple not; needed, perhaps none; a g Less dangerous due, to not using explosives; Lessman power per whereupon f Less, breakage of coal in mining);

Inthe accompanyingidrawingsjis exemplified the resultant cutsandshapes of the "present?" method: I j

Figure," 1 is; a vertiealjsection along the line i| of Figure 11'" i'rtthe length direction ofaf coal veinto be mined indicating' the preliminary cut througha'perpendicular wall. 1

Figures 2 to 5 are similar views of successivecuts in the direction'of the vein for obtaining bl'ocks-of'difi'erent shape and size. I cross section Figure 6 shows a block o ffsquareas a result of the cutting; A g i H Figure? is a similar blokof triangular cross section. Y

Figures 8, 9, 10 'showfcross sectionsfoiiblock? obtainable by thismethod'l Figure 11 is' afront-Ijaceof the I mine looking in the directionyof arrow 'i if 'in Figure 1.

Referring first to Figures 1 and? G,--jn umeral I5- indicates the roof lineand numeral H? the floor line "in the coal mineto be-excavated and=ni1- merals I 1 and 18 respectively the leftand right face lines ofthe cut-to be rnadef O1" in otherf words,'the face lines l'5'; r6541; and I 3 represent a rectangle of the area toj becut out of the coalv vein and the present invention; therefore; con templates first to -make horizontalcuts; along lines ["5 and I6, and vertical cuts along' lines; 'l 1 about r 12- inches distant "irom the fir st' cuts I 9;

and-20: 7 a 1 a i The next step'is thereupon" the making of'th'e four angular cuts 23 and 24 by working the 'tool at a downwardly directed angle for cuts 23 and an upwardly directed angle for the cuts 24 which are 12 to 24 inches deep. The angularity may be any one desired as 30, 45, 60 or any other angle. The most practical and economical angle, however is 45 as?" dicated in Figures 1 to inclusive.

These sevefial angular cuts 23 and 24 will new release the blocks or bars A, A of triangular cross section in Figure 1 with the cutting tool set for 45 angle. This concludes the first mining cuts between lines 2| and 22 while leaving the coal above and below said lines respectively undisturbed. j

The cutting tools are now advanced further into the mine. to make the next excavation as in dicated in Figure 2'where the square sectioned blocks or bars C with 12 to 24 inch sides are released withthe tool again inclined 45 to make angular cuts 23, 24 as before while the horizontalcuts I9, 20, 2| and 22 are made deeper. This will then releaseblocks D of triangular cross section having 12 tof24 inch sides, but Withthe bases horizontal as seen in Figure 2.- With the square and triangle blocks C and D thus removed, there will be room enough for operating the tool in vertical direction to release the blocks B and B at 20p and bottom by means of the vertical cuts 25,

Next follows the further advancement of the mining'tools into position in Figure 3 the tool still being set at 45 angle wherein two small square blocks C, C and two larger square blocks B and B together with two triangular blocks A,-

A are released.

In Figure 4, by the same method and setting of tool, square section blocksB B and C areobtained, while in Figure 5 four square sectioned blocks A B and triangles D respectively, are released.

V In Figures 6 and 7 the long blocks A and Bare shown with cross cuts indicated along dottedlines 2'! and 28 in the event itis desired to cut these blocks into shorter pieces. In Figures 8, 9 and 10 other possible cross sections of the blocks are indicated such as diamond shape 30 in Figure 8, isosceles triangle 3| Figure 9 and right angle triangle 32-Figure 10. Naturally many other sections are obtainable by setting the tools to cut the coal in. other directions. So for instance with the tool set at any other angle than 45 as used in Figs. 1 thru 5,- the triangular sections A would be other than right triangles and the square sections C change to parallelograms.

The general shape of the excavation into the coal vein by this method would be a rectangular tunnel as is the usual case in present mining methods, This is best seen in Figure 6, the four sides being along lines 11,18, l9 and 20.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the method is based principally upon the fact that V-shaped cuts orincisions are made on the face of the coal vein thereby resulting in the release of structures of long, sharp edged blocks of any desired cross section. In other words the face of the vein after thefirst and following cuttings will presenta surface of saw teeth appearance, that is, a series of sharp, straight parallel edges, runmng horizontally between the vertical sides of a rectangulartunnel.

It is "to be understood, that the invention as here disclosed is not limited to the details here describedand shown butthat the same. may be varied widely without departing from thespirit. at the invention as defined by the su join'e aimse.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A method of mining which consists in cutting spaced vertical kerfs in a mine vein, then cutting horizontal kerfs in the vein that connect the vertica :erfs respectively at the roof and floor lines, then cutting other horizontal kerfs in the vein that connect the vertical kerfs respectively adjacent but below the roof line and adjacent but above the floor line, then cutting a series of forwardly converging oppositely inclined pairs of kerfs in the vein between the second named horizontal kerfs so that the kerfs of the inclined pairs intersect each other and connect the vertical kerfs to completely free blocks from the vein, then extending all of the kerfs further into the vein until'certain of the inclined kerfs intersect again and others intersect the secondnamed horizontal kerfs to completely free additional blocks from the vein, then extending further into the vein pairs of inclined kerfs which.

the vertical kerfs respectively at the roof and floor lines, then cutting other horizontal kerfs in the vein that connect the'vertical kerfs respectively adjacent but below the roof line and adjacent but.

above :the floor line, then cutting a series of for- Wardly converging oppositely inclined pairs of; kerfs in the vein between the second-named horizontal kerfs. so, that the kerfs of the inclined pairs intersect each other and connect the vertical kerfs to completely free blocks from the vein, then extending all of the kerfs further into the vein until certain of the inclined kerfs intersect again and others intersect the second-named:

horizontal kerfs to completely free additionalblocks from the vein, then extending further into the vein pairs of inclined kerfs which are midway between the roof and floor lines so as to completely free still further blocks from the vein, and then cutting kerfs'in the vein parallel with the face so as to connect the vertical kerfs and completely free more blocks from the vein above and below said still further blocks up to the roof line and down to the floor line, andthen extending further intothe vein the pairs of inclined kerfs directly adjacent the second-named horizontal kerfs and the pair midway between the roof and from-the'vein. v

3'. A- method of mining which consists in cutting spaced vertical kerfs in a mine vein, then cutting horizontal kerfs in the vein that connect the vertical kerfs respectively at the roof and floor lines, thencutting other horizontal kerfs floor lines to. completely free still'more blocks in the vein that connect the vertical kerfs re-' spectively-adjacent but below the roof line and adjacent but above the floor line, then cutting a series of forwardly converging oppositely inclined pairs of kerfs in the vein between the secondnamed horizontal kerfs so that the kerfs of the inclined pairs intersect each other and connect the vertical. kerfs to completely free blocks from the vein, then extending all of the kerfs'further into the vein until certain :o f' the inclined-kerfs intersect again and others intersect the'secondnamed horizontal kerfs to completely free additional blocks from the vein, then extending further into the vein pairs of inclined kerfs which are midway between the roof and the floor lines so as to completely free still further blocks from the vein, and then cutting kerfs in the vein parallel with the face so as to connect the vertical kerfs and completely free more blocks from the vein above and below said still further blocks up to the roof line and down to the floor line, and then extending further into the vein the pairs of inclined kerfs directly adjacent the secondnamed horizontal kerfs and the pairs midway between the roof and the floor lines to completely free still more blocks from the vein, and then extending the remaining inclined kerfs further into the vein to completely free still other blocks from the vein between said midway pair of inclined kerfs and the second-named horizontal kerfs.

KINDRED L. STORRS. 

